Fantasy Football: Buy low, sell high trade targets

Pittsburgh Steelers running back James Conner (30) celebrates his one-yard touchdown run in the third quarter of the Kansas City Chiefs 42-37 win on September 16 in Pittsburgh. Photo by Archie Carpenter/UPI | License Photo

Sept. 18 (UPI) -- Buy low. Sell high. If you have any experience with fantasy football, you know these terms well. If you are a newcomer, have no fear.

Trading is an essential component of winning in fantasy football. You should always be trying to improve your team and sometimes those improvements can't be made from the waiver wire.

Buying low means that you scan your league's teams for great players who are underperforming. Selling high means that you are trying to trade away a player who has had a great season, but you think they are due to have a drop off.

As an example, you'd want to trade away a player in the latter category coming off of a big game to maximize the return. You should buy low by finding another player in your league who is getting the work, but not yet getting into the end zone. Touchdowns will come if the opportunity is there in most cases.

Watson is one of my favorite buy low candidates. The former Heisman Trophy winner showed off his ceiling last season with three starts with at least four passing touchdowns. He has three total touchdowns though two weeks this season, but has yet to get going with star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. Will Fuller helped provide a boost to the Texans' offense last week and I expect that to continue. Watson can be had for a modest price right now and should be a player that you target if you are weak at quarterback and have depth elsewhere.

Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) drops back for a pass in the first quarter against the New England Patriots on September 9 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. Photo by Matthew Healey/UPI

The Chiefs have one of the best offenses in football through two weeks, but Hunt -- the 2017 rushing champion -- has not played a huge role in that. Hunt should definitely be on your trade radar if you need help at running back and can sell high with other players. Locate the Hunt owner in your league and put together a respectable package for the Chiefs' backfield star. Hunt has yet to rush for 100 yards and has not scored a rushing touchdown in 2018. Those stats are likely coming in a big way for Hunt, who is a part of an elite unit.

There are some big names among my buy low wide receiver candidates. While it might take a bit more work to pry Beckham or Brown from their owners in your league, it is worth it. Beckham started off the season hot with 111 yards against the stout Jacksonville Jaguars defense. He had 51 yards in Week 2 against the Dallas Cowboys. But Beckham is another player who hasn't found the end zone. Try to acquire Beckham straight up by packaging a running back and wide receiver to his stock owner.

Graham had 10 touchdowns in 2017 and now he has Aaron Rodgers throwing him the ball. He showed up in a big way in Week 2, reeling in six receptions for 95 yards against the Minnesota Vikings. That breakout game followed a two-catch, eight-yard Week 1 showing. I expect the touchdowns to start coming in bunches for Graham, who had two multi-score games in 2017 and scored nine of his touchdowns in an eight-game span last season for the Seattle Seahawks. Graham's targets doubled from Week 1 to Week 2 and I expect his role to increase even more going forward.

Chiefs gunslinger Patrick Mahomes might be the biggest sell high of the season. Mahomes is fantastic and has likely helped your team win -- if you were gutsy enough to start him -- but he is unlikely to keep producing at his current level. I expect Hunt to eventually be a bigger factor in this offense and Mahomes can probably net you a decent return if you put him in an enticing package. Mahomes has 10 touchdowns and 582 yards through two games this season and is the talk of the NFL, it shouldn't be hard to find a wide-eyed owner in need of that type of production.

Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton rushes for a first half touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys in the first half of an NFL football game on September 9 in Charlotte. Photo by Nell Redmond/UPI

Conner is probably second on my list of players that you should be selling high. Timing is of the essence with this Steelers star, as news could break at any moment relating to when Le'Veon Bell returns, relegating Conner to secondary duties at some point. Right now, Conner is a top-3 fantasy football running back. Statistically, he is in the neighborhood of first-round picks Todd Gurley and Alvin Kamara. His stock will not get any higher. If you wait too long, your are limiting your return. Target one of the buy low guys on my list in a trade involving Conner.

Jackson is one of several Buccaneers players I would recommend selling high on. As fun as it is to watch, I just don't envision Ryan Fitzpatrick keeping up his current level of production throughout the 2018 season. Jackson has been one of the biggest benefactors of that production, but I don't think his statistics are sustainable. The speedy wide receiver is a top-5 fantasy football wide receiver through two weeks, among a list including Tyreek Hill, Michael Thomas and A.J. Green. I don't think his name stays there.

You probably didn't draft Jackson to be a starter, so try to acquire an RB2 or an underperforming pass catcher in a trade, using the Buccaneers receiver as trade bait.

Redskins tight end Jordan Reed is healthy. He barely trails New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski in fantasy points. If you are in a league with a tight end starter position, look to deal Reed for help elsewhere. Reed has never started more than nine games in a season and hasn't started more than five games in a season since his Pro Bowl campaign in 2016. I'm banking on history and selling him while I can if I have any Reed fantasy football stock.